They began under clouds of controversy and not-quite-ready-for-prime-time facilities, but once the Games actually began, they were very well run. And the competition began, and the athletes took the spotlight as they should. The settings were stunning -- and the crazy-warm sunshine painted a beautiful backdrop for these Winter Games.

Out of the thousands of photos that we sifted through over the past 17 days, we selected these 40 as our favorites. Some show the key moments of the games, some just show astonishing photography at its finest. (And we highly recommend the "full-screen" option for best viewing.)

The gallery ends, as the games did on Sunday, with a giant bear huffing and puffing ... and blowing out the Olympic flame of the Sochi Games.